A healthy place to die : a Gourmet Detective mystery

Standing in for an ailing colleague, the Gourmet Detective attends a cooking conference at a luxurious Swiss spa famous for pampering the overindulged with healthful haute cuisine. Under the eye of the crusty chef-owner and his dishy staff, the Gourmet Detective prepares for the week ahead by sampling delicacies ranging from decadent cherry-schnapps-laced Zuger Kirschtorte, to mousseline de poisson . Then it's time to relax in the underground mudbaths, swim in the natural springs, and meet an attractive food writer for a rendezvous in the Seaweed Forest. But the Gourmet Detective's first spa experience may be his last, as he's knocked out cold and his delectable date disappears without a trace. Soon it seems that someone has whipped up the perfect recipe for murder--and the banquet has just begun... In this “feast of a food mystery” the Gourmet Detective visits a Swiss health spa where the treatments can be deadly ( Publishers Weekly ). The gourmet detective realizes that the Alpine Springs health resort is not a typical spa somewhere in the middle of his first cocktail. Where other retreats promote abstinence, exercise, and bland food, this quiet little Swiss chalet preaches indulgence. Guests are allowed to eat, drink, and smoke as much as they want, and exercise is strictly optional. For this epicure, it is paradise—and it may also be his doom. He has come from London to speak about fine dining, but while here he fully intends on enjoying himself. One night he arranges a tryst with a fellow expert, a beautiful young woman named Kathleen Evans. They are deep in the woods, about to begin enjoying themselves, when something knocks the detective out cold. When he comes to, Kathleen has vanished, and the detective begins to suspect that life in the Alps is not as healthful as it appears. While relaxing at a Swiss health spa, the detective finds the treatment can be deadly The gourmet detective realizes that the Alpine Springs health resort is not a typical spa somewhere in the middle of his first cocktail. Where other retreats promote abstinence, exercise, and bland food, this quiet little Swiss chalet preaches indulgence. Guests are allowed to eat, drink, and smoke as much as they want, and exercise is strictly optional. For this epicure, it is paradise{u2014}and it may also be his doom. He has come from London to speak about fine dining, but while here he fully intends on enjoying himself. One night he arranges a tryst with a fellow expert, a beautiful young woman named Kathleen Evans. They are deep in the woods, about to begin enjoying themselves, when something knocks the detective out cold. When he comes to, Kathleen has vanished, and the detective begins to suspect that life in the Alps is not as healthful as it appears When the Gourmet Detective agrees to fill in for a friend at a luxurious Swiss health spa, he discovers that three women have gone missing, perhaps after uncovering "more than the tastiest recipes."--Jacket